Since Abbott Elementary first aired just a few years ago, the show has racked up two dozen Emmy nominations, taking home four along with winning countless other awards and accolades over the years. With how exceptional the show is overall, it would seem difficult for one character in particular to stand out, especially with just how strong the entire cast is. However, the character Melissa, portrayed by actor and comedian Lisa Ann Walter, appears to have done just that.
For those that have seen the show, it is very clear why fans have taken such a liking to her, especially those in the Philadelphia area. With her distinct hoagiemouth accent and toughness, the character reminds fans of people they may know from their neighborhood, or maybe even their own mothers. Despite how natural Melissa sounds talking about ”wooder ice” and the Birds, Walter says that getting it down was not as easy as it seems, but she knew it was something she needed to do.
“I work really hard on the accent,” Walter states. “It’s really important for me to honor the people from the neighborhood because they have such pride in the neighborhood, and the accent is a big piece of it. So I really try to get it right.” Without a doubt, fans have noticed this, and have truly embraced the actress as one of their own. She describes an encounter she had last year at Philly’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, where Walter was riding down the Ben Franklin Parkway in a float when a clearly-drunken fan came running up to her. “She’s like, ‘let me tell you something,’” Walter regales, using her best Philly impression for the fan. “‘Philadelphia loves you, ‘cause you are so effing,’ and then she starts dropping f-bomb after f-bomb after f-bomb.” Walter then pulled her phone out to record the whole interaction, before sending it to Abbott creator and Philly native Quinta Brunson, with Walter describing the whole thing as “so Philly.”
Once again, there is no doubt that Walter paid her dues to get to this level of love from the city. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Walter had a lot of work to do in order to get the accent down, and although it is hard to imagine Melissa talking any differently, the accent was not necessarily a requirement. “They were like, whatever you do is fine,” says Walter, “but it was important to me, so I just studied.” How did she go about this exactly? Walter’s process involved a lot of hours of listening to people online pronounce words like towel and water, of course nowhere close to how they are spelled or pronounced anywhere else in the world. She also looked for inspiration in celebrities like Montco native Bradley Cooper, or Delco native and indie musician Alex G, making sure to encompass the full range of the area when figuring out how Melissa would speak.
Walter’s affinity for Philly goes far beyond her work, though. One way she has connected with the city has been through the food, especially the cheesesteaks. Of course, she first had to address the elephant in the room, and answer the question at the top of everyone’s minds: “John’s Roast Pork was my favorite cheesesteak, but Dalessandro’s was my favorite hoagie.” This decision comes after checking out nine different spots during her time in Philly. In the past, this time has been sparse, but may be more permanent going forward as Walter hopes to buy a home right along Philly’s Main Line. While the official move might have to wait until Walter decides to take a step back from her career, the area already feels like home to her. “When the people are on the street hugging me and kissing me, it makes me feel like family,” says Walter. “It makes me feel like home. It makes me feel embraced.”
Another way that Walter has felt this brotherly love is through her stand up performances, some of which are coming up this July at Philly’s Helium Comedy Club. For Walter, performing for a Philadelphia audience is as good as it gets. “There’s just no place in the country like Philly,” she says. “I don’t know if it will ever change but my best shows are always in Philly.” As much success as she has had in her career, both on the stage and on the screen, there is something about stand-up that Walter will always hold on to dearly. “I love doing stand-up because it is watching in real time an audience having joy because of something I’m doing, which is the reason I got into the business.”
Once again, Lisa Ann Walter will be performing at the Helium Comedy Club on July 11th, 12th, and 13th for a total of five shows. Tickets can be bought here: https://philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com/shows/310070